Finding My Feet

Chapter Twenty-One

I looked at Reegan through his door to the bathroom. He had no shirt on as he laid on his stomach, snoring.
My gaze then went to the ring that I had put on my side of the bathroom counter.
I loved him with everything in me but marriage? It seemed too rushed.
I finished brushing my teeth. I slipped the ring back into my jean pocket and headed to my door.
I stopped as I heard Reegan's phone ringing. There was shuffling then a thud and Reegan groaned. The ringing stopped and I shuffled closer.
"Hello?" He mumbled.
I peeked through the door to see he was half laying on the ground, squinting at the light coming through the window.
"Yeah, I was sleeping... My lecture starts at ten... Why do you want to know when it ends?.. Fine, half past two... No. I'm not doing that," he sat up in bed, suddenly wide awake and anger lacing his voice. "I moved here to get away from her, not fetch her from school, Dad."
My heart dropped into my stomach and I stepped away from his door.
"Okay fine, gee... $100? For just today right?.. If it's everyday then $150 a day... I don't like her and I know you don't have that much to pay me everyday, this is literally my way of getting out of it... Just today... Yeah, tell Katy I said hi... Love you too, Dad... Yeah, bye," he hung up his phone and laid back down, rubbing his face with his palms.
He's fetching her? I thought our problem was solved since he moved in.
I took another step back and toppled into the bathtub.
"Ouch," I groaned, turning my arm to try see my throbbing elbow.
"Amber?"
"Help me," I whined.
Reegan walked into the bathroom, his eyes landing on me in confusion. It then turned to shock. He scrambled to get me out of the tub.
I hissed as he fingers brushed against my elbow.
"It's going blue already," he said. "What were you doing?"
"I, uhm, saw a spider. It, uh, crawled towards me," I made up.
"Get used to it," he laughed. "We once had a python under our kitchen sink."
I shivered while gently cradling my elbow.
"Why is this here?" He bent and picked something up as my hands flew to my pockets.
The ring.
"What were you doing with it?" He twirled the ring between his thumb and forefinger.
"I was just putting it in a safer place," I shrugged.
"The bathroom is a safe place?" He raised his eyebrow at me.
"Don't ask me questions," I snatched the ring from him, stomping out the bathroom.
I heard him laugh before his door closed.
My face heat up then drained again. He was fetching Kelly. Well most likely, I couldn't think of any other reason for that conversation.
I made my way into the kitchen, getting an ice cube out the freezer and pressing it to my arm.
"You ready for school?" My mom asked, eyes focused on her laptop as her fingers typed away.
She paused to take a sip of her coffee then went straight back to it.
"Avery is fetching me, you can continue working, Mom," I sat across from her.
"What happened to your elbow, honey?" She looked up.
"I was eavesdropping as usual," I shook my head. "My mind is all mixed up."
She laughed at me before returning to her work. A few moments after, I heard Avery's hooter.
"Bye Mom," I squeezed her shoulder. "Bye Reegs!"
I heard a muffled reply as I closed the front door.
"You're dripping water all over my seats," Avery whined as I climbed in.
"Deal with it," I wiped my wet hand over her arm and she slapped my hand away.
"Bitch," she shrieked. "It's fucking cold!"
I laughed loudly as she started driving off.
"Do you not dry your hands when coming out the bathroom?" She asked, glancing at me.
"I was holding an ice cube to this," I showed her my bruised elbow and she raised her eyebrow before I sighed. "I was eavesdropping on Reegan. Don't look at me like that. He's fetching Kelly today. Well I think."
"Why?" She asked, pulling into her parking.
I shrugged, opening my door.
"He was talking to his dad over the phone," I said. "He doesn't know I heard."
"Do you think he'll tell you?" She asked.
"What if he doesn't?" I looked at her and she shrugged. "So helpful."
She laughed, switching the car off and reaching to the backseat to rummage through her textbooks.
"There's something else. He asked me something," I grabbed the ring from my pocket, bringing my hand to my lap.
"Yeah?" She rummaged through a few notes before glancing at me then to the ring.
I closed the door because of how loud Avery was screaming.
"He asked you to marry him?!" The smile on her face reached her forehead. "What?! Oh my god, this will be the best wedding ever. I'm thinking we don't do a traditional wedding but still have the traditional things like the music and the white dress but we can make it so sexy. Or it could have pink embroidery around-"
"I didn't say yes," I interrupted her quickly.
"You didn't say no either," she blurted.
"Well I didn't but like I'm still in high school," I shrugged.
"That didn't stop Bella and Edward," she said.
"Are you seriously comparing my love life to twilight?" I raised my eyebrows at her. "Edward wasn't even young anymore."
"Yeah but they were still in high school. Reegan isn't even in high school and we're almost at the end of it," she opened her door.
I got out and followed her.
"What about everything that has happened?" I asked.
"Exactly. What about it?" She looked at me, huffing. "If you don't want to do it then just say no. You're looking for excuses now and I don't understand why. You make everything so complicated. If you want to, tell him. If you don't want to, tell him. It's that simple."
I looked at her glumly, opening my locker and getting a textbook out.
"I guess it is that simple. And if it's awkward or we have a fight or if he runs back to Kelly? Or if I say yes and then he wants to rush everything?" I asked.
I felt a thump on the back of my head.
"What was that for?" I yelled, my hand rubbing the spot where she hit.
"Your overthinking disgusts me," she whisper hissed.
I scoffed, walking into class with her.